Apple’s VP of People to become SVP of Retail and People
Deirdre O’Brien, the current Vice President of People at Apple, will now be taking on additional responsibilities for the company’s retail and online stores in her new role as Senior Vice President of Retail and People.
This announcement comes at the heels of the news that Angela Ahrendts, the current Senior Vice President of Retail is leaving after five years with the company. When Ahrendts joined Apple in 2014, she was the tech-giant’s only female senior executive. Prior to working with Apple, she was the highest paid CEO in the UK in her role as CEO of Burberry.
In their endeavor to expand and deepen its reach in China, Apple hired Ahrendts. It was the era of iPhone 5C, a less expensive model of a smartphone designed to attract the Chinese market. However, today, the economic slowdown in China is affecting Apple’s earnings from the region as well.
“The last five years have been the most stimulating, challenging and fulfilling of my career. Through the teams’ collective efforts, Retail has never been stronger or better positioned to make an even greater contribution for Apple,” said Angela Ahrendts, Senior Vice President of Retail.
At Burberry, Ahrendts was lauded for reshaping the luxury fashion brand’s image and improving its presence in Asia.
“Angela has been a positive, transformative force, both for Apple’s stores and the communities they serve,” said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. “I want to thank Angela for inspiring and energizing out teams over the past five years.”
According to a statement released by Apple, Ahrendts is leaving her current role and company for “new personal and professional pursuits.”
As this juncture for the company wherein sales from China are slow, O’Brien will be taking over from Ahrendts at a time when Apple operates 35 online stores and 506 retail stores across five continents.
O’Brien will be reporting directly to CEO Tim Cook.
“Our retail teams show their passion every day, in every interaction, all around the world. It is the opportunity of a lifetime to work with, and learn from, such a talented, diverse and imaginative team,” O’Brien said in a company statement.